


An Anniversary

by notjustmom



Series: Sherlock Christmas Ficlets 2017 [6]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 09:58:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12932850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: prompt 6: cold/cozy





	An Anniversary

"Why are we here, John?" Sherlock's teeth chattered against the cold, though he was bundled up tightly against the bitter wind in as many layers that would fit under the Belstaff.

John handed him a steaming cup of hot chocolate and sat down next to him on the bench. "Celebrating an anniversary."

Sherlock wrapped his gloved hands around his paper cup and rolled his eyes. "I know it's Christmas, John..."

"No. Our anniversary. Well, more my anniversary -"

Sherlock tried to work out what John was on about, when John mumbled, almost to himself, "it was the day I fell in love with you. Again. And you weren't even - hmm. You were -"

"John?"

"The second Christmas you were gone. I couldn't stand being in the flat any more, the surgery was closed, Mrs. Hudson was at her sister's - so I just started walking - past all the shops with their lights and people being happy - and I just kept walking til I got to this bench, and I sat down, and started talking to you - telling you about my day like you were here, not that you would have heard me or really listened back then, you'd be lost in your Mind Palace or plotting another way to destroy another one of my jumpers, but that night, I talked and I pretended you were sitting with me as you are now, just sitting and listening, and then it started to snow, and I realised you weren't gone, not really. I knew - I knew you weren't dead."

"I always heard you." Sherlock muttered into his cup.

John turned and looked at him. "What?"

"I always heard every word you ever said, John. I just didn't want you to - I didn't think you - I was afraid to tell you how important you were to me. I didn't want to need you. I thought needing someone, anyone was a weakness, and to need you - you especially, you weren't..." Sherlock took another sip of his drink and sighed. "I talked to you too, when I was away - none of them understood English, not really, so I would tell you everything I should have said... they thought I was hallucinating, and perhaps I was. That Christmas - that was one of the worst days - they wanted to make sure I believed I was never going home. And then, I don't know, I just closed my eyes and thought of your laughter - I could hear it, those times when you were honestly amused, and you were happy - and I fell asleep once they had left to the sound of your laughter." Sherlock drank down the rest of the now nearly ice cold chocolate, then got up and tossed his cup in the rubbish bin. "Happy Anniversary, John. Now - can we please -"

"Go home and go to bed?"

"Amazing how you can read my mind."

John snorted, then finished his drink. "You have just as many tells as anyone else."

"Do not." 

"Do too."

"Name one."

"Your eyes - they turn ice blue." John moved closer to Sherlock and laid a gloved hand on his face.

Sherlock stared at him.

"Your nose crinkles - yep, just like that - and I have to say, it's rather adorable...."

"Is not. I am not ador -" Sherlock tried to turn away, but John stopped him with a look, then stood on tiptoe and grinned against his frozen, trembling lips, kissing him softly. "And you are still surprised, even now that I love you."

Sherlock nodded, then took John's arm and they started home, as the snow began to fall.


End file.
